Downstairs bathroom cuts £13k off house price

HAVING the family bathroom downstairs can knock tens of thousands of pounds off your home’s value, a study shows.

It is also likely to put prospective buyers off , property experts say. Keeping the bathroom downstairs – often the case in a period property such as Victorian terrace – can reduce the value by 6 per cent, or £13,580 for the average UK home.

This is because buyers prioritise downstairs living space.

Some 44 per cent of adults said a downstairs bathroom would put them off buying a property, according to a Direct Line Home Insurance survey – and that rose to 57 per cent in London.

A quarter of estate agents advise homeowners to move a bathroom upstairs before listing their property to create more space on the ground floor and add value. But adding a side return – a rear extension build on an alley – can put up to 10 per cent on the value of a fourbedroom house.

Dan Simson, head of home

‘Create more living space’

insurance at Direct Line, said: ‘Downstairs bathrooms are usually accessed through the kitchen and they divide opinion.’

Jasper Colliver, head of Savills Wandsworth, said: ‘Almost always, family homeowners will prioritise creating more living space downstairs over anything else. In period terrace properties, this will usually take the form of a side return or rear extension. This can house a large kitchen/ breakfast room and perhaps a playroom too.

‘Where there is an existing bathroom on the ground floor, a homeowner might look to re-purpose it as a utility and cloakroom.’

But those who purchase a property with the intention of moving the bathroom upstairs should contact their local authority before going ahead with the work as it will need to comply with building regulations.

Mr Simson said: ‘You should also let your insurer know about any changes being made to the house, as any work that involves walls being knocked down, floors being taken up, plumbing or electrical work can result in damage to the property.’